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Safety of winch launch vrs. aero tow?
Someone must have already compared the safety of these tow launch methods.
What do the statistics show is the safer method of launch? Aero tow seems to involve more inherent dangers to me. For one thing, there is just more time for things to go wrong. What could be more dangerous than to tie tow airplanes together and try to fly? Gary Boggs |
#2
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Hi
Having both winched and aerotowed several times!!! I find an aerotow less demanding, everything happens very quickly on a winch wire. Peter S DLA "Gary Boggs" wrote in message ... Someone must have already compared the safety of these tow launch methods. What do the statistics show is the safer method of launch? Aero tow seems to involve more inherent dangers to me. For one thing, there is just more time for things to go wrong. What could be more dangerous than to tie tow airplanes together and try to fly? Gary Boggs |
#3
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It all depends on what you mean by statistics, and safer.
Harry Enfield (a UK comedian): "Flying is safe, you don't want to worry about flying; it's crashing that's dangerous." Winch launching and aerotowing are safe, it's the consequence of mismanaging an abnormality that's dangerous. Winch launches yield few accidents in themselves (e.g. occasional ground loops); a competent pilot should have been trained in, and able to cope with, a variety of abnormal situations such as cable breaks, too slow, gradual power failure, etc. All of these are manageable with competent handling. If badly handled, however, any can lead to a bad, even fatal, accident. E.g. turning too low and slow after a cable break, leading to a classic spin. But is that counted as a winch accident, or a failure to monitor speed while turning close to the ground, i.e. a flight or pre-landing accident? You may find that statistics are not compiled in comparable ways over time, or between one club (or organisation, or country) and another. Aerotowing is more likely to kill the tug pilot than the glider pilot if it goes wrong, i.e. the "tug upset" accident which seemed to start in the 1970's. In terms of accidents per 100,000 launches, however, these are rare. Oversimplifying to some extent, the only really dangerous part of an aerotow where the competent glider pilot has little chance of avoiding a bad accident is a rope break or power failure over bad terrain, which is only applicable to a small proportion of sites (in my experience). Either method can lead very rarely to harm to second or third parties. I know of one fatality to a ground handler associated with cable launch operations (UK, 1970's). I know of other injuries from falling cables, including one dead cow. There has probably been at least one instance of somebody walking into a tug propellor, somewhere in the world. I recall one tug accident where a child was a passenger in the tug and was killed when it spun in (there is an argument for never carrying extra people in the tug unless required for operational or training reasons - it adds to the risk by reducing climb performance and increasing the period of greatest hazard, as well as adding to the number of people at risk in the operation - but many clubs seem to regard that as acceptable). There are some underlying causes of accidents that are more likely to be found in the winch launch phase that in an aerotow - but could anyway happen in the subsequent flight. A loose seat back leading to unintended pitch up, and structural failure, are two I have heard of - winch launches usually involve greater stresses and more extreme attitudes than aerotows, unless the latter involve rotor or other adverse conditions. But the subsequent flight could also have included turbulence or other stress-inducing circumstances with equally tragic results, if the problem had survived the launch phase - so should those be counted as launch accidents? Beware of the raw statistics. Chris N. |
#4
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Beware of the raw statistics.
How about this one: 100% of 2003 US glider fatalities occur after aerotow. Sounds like a good tag line for a winch manufacturer advertisement -bob |
#5
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In article , mowry86
@hotmail.com says... Beware of the raw statistics. How about this one: 100% of 2003 US glider fatalities occur after aerotow. Sounds like a good tag line for a winch manufacturer advertisement Unfortunately, not true: some have occurred after self-launch, and I know there have been some ground launch fatalities (how recently, I can't remember) -- !Replace DECIMAL.POINT in my e-mail address with just a . to reply directly Eric Greenwell Richland, WA (USA) |
#6
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"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message .. . In article , mowry86 @hotmail.com says... Beware of the raw statistics. How about this one: 100% of 2003 US glider fatalities occur after aerotow. Sounds like a good tag line for a winch manufacturer advertisement Unfortunately, not true: some have occurred after self-launch, and I know there have been some ground launch fatalities (how recently, I can't remember) -- !Replace DECIMAL.POINT in my e-mail address with just a . to reply directly Eric Greenwell Richland, WA (USA) The following occured in the launch phase Two fatals I'm aware of. A homebuilt failed structurally in a winch launch in Colorado some years ago and apparently another homebuilt crashed in North Carolina in the past couple of weeks on auto tow. Not clear whether the NC accident pilot was even trained in ground launch. Perhaps someone in that neck of the woods can offer more information. A Russia was damaged in Wyoming a few years back on auto tow at a private ranch strip, however, the grapevine reported the pilot had no specific ground launch training and cart-wheeled the glider. IIRC, it was properly repaired and sold. A sometimes RAS poster was seriously injured in a winch launch accident involving a Phoebus C in Georgia a few years ago. (stalled all-flying tail to excessive pitch-up to wing stall, wing-drop, and rolled inverted to impact) Any others? Certainly there have been a few at Torrey Pines over the decades, though environmental factors have been a big player there. Frank Whiteley |
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Any others? Certainly there have been a few at Torrey Pines over the decades, though environmental factors have been a big player there. Frank Whiteley Its been a long time now, but a group was auto-towing a Cherokee at Air Sailing, NV. The initial flights were made with a pulley attached to a stake in the ground and car driver heading straight for the glider. After several flights they decided to put the pilley on the car and NOBODY knew that would DOUBLE the glider speed. The driver "Stood on it " hard and finally obtained his briefed 50 mph. The glider was now doing 100 and pilot was unable to release due to excessive tow line pressure. The wings came off and pilot was killed. About 20 years back, a group was auto-towing a Monarch at Kingdon, Ca. That went so well, they decided to hook it up to a tow plane. The ship did several PIO's as the pilot tried in vain, to release. He survived, but doesen't remember anything after the 3rd grade. My pilot licence still reads, "Aero-Tow- Only" JJ Sinclair |
#8
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#9
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Errors on the part of the winch driver may leave the glider pilot completely
"hung out to dry" with no risk whatsoever to the winch driver. During aerotow, the tug pilot is not likely to make mistakes that might kill himself. The incentive for a safe tow is thus higher for aerotow, because the tow pilot has built-in accountability. I have driven the winch, and launched my glider by tug, winch, and auto-tow. I prefer airtow over the other methods, but all can be safe with proper training and pre-launch briefing. - Mark Navarre ASW-20 OD California, USA - |
#10
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